This is the sermon preview of sermon five of nine in the preaching series Elect Spiritual Fruit. To watch a recording of this message, visit FBCM’s livestream page.
“Acclaim the Lord, for He is good, for His kindness endures forever.” – from Psalm 136 (Translated by Robert Alter)
There's a viral Facebook post that says, "It costs nothing to be kind." In the most technical sense, it's true. Kindness doesn’t have to involve a charge coming out of your bank account. But kindness is costly.
I like how Christopher J.H. Wright put it in his book Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit. "Kindness goes beyond duty. It means doing something you don't have to do, but just choose to do. Kindness goes beyond reward--it means doing something you won't get paid to do." In other words, kindness demands that we trade in our preferences, conveniences, and expectations for the sake of loving someone else. In this way, a life producing “kindness fruit” sounds a lot like FBCM’s 2024 watchword: not to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:45).
This raises the question: How do we see this costly kindness in God’s character?
While there's so many places in scriptures that show God's kindness, Psalm 136 may be the best summary of God's hesed--his "loving-kindness" or "steadfast love" shown throughout the Old Testament. The Psalmist sings that God's loving-kindness endures forever. That actually may be putting it lightly. The Psalmist is insistent that God’s kindness endures forever; he’s so sure of this promise that he declares it every other line for a total of twenty six times! I like to imagine that he crescendos as he goes through the song, trying to make sure that everyone hears him loud and clear.
And if we’re being honest, God’s costly kindness should be a theme that we hear on blast throughout the Bible! In Psalm 136, God’s costly kindness is evidenced from his wonders in creation to the parting of the Red Sea, from his guiding Spirit to his provision of our daily bread. But kindness doesn't end there.
Scholar Tamara Cohn Eskenazi notes that the entire book of Ruth is a testimony of the domino effect of God’s hesed. In Ruth, God’s kindness becomes contagious: Ruth shows costly kindness to Naomi when she follows her to Israel, and in turn, Boaz shows costly kindness by being Ruth’s kinsman redeemer. The end of this domino kindness is the beauty of new life in the birth of a baby–the ancestor of none other than Jesus Christ!
And you probably don’t need me to tell you that Jesus showed costly kindness beyond any obligation in every meal with sinners, every healing, and ultimately, carrying the cross. God's loving-kindness is a generosity that costs us our convenience. But as it turns out, our convenience isn’t nearly as valuable as this tender fruit of the Spirit. So may we prioritize politics and practices which align with the commandment of Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Reflection Questions
How many times do you have to be told something for you to really believe it?
When have you seen God’s loving-kindness in your life?
How might God be calling you to be part of the “domino effect” of costly kindness that transforms Delaware County?
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